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Wallace
Wallace & Gromit is a British stop-motion clay animation comedy series created by Nick Park of Aardman Animations. The series consists mainly of four short films and one feature-length film, but it has spawned numerous spin-offs and television adaptations. The series revolves around the adventures of Wallace, a good-natured and eccentric cheese-loving inventor, along with his companion Gromit, a silent yet loyal and intelligent anthropomorphic dog. Short films A Grand Day Out ''(1989) [[A Grand Day Out|A Grand Day Out]] is a 1989 British stop-motion animated short film created by Nick Park. It is the first ''Wallace & Gromit short film. In the film, Wallace and Gromit spend a Bank Holiday building a homemade rocket to go to the Moon to sample cheese. The film was Park's first major work and was started as a student project before he joined Aardman. It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film but it lost to Park's other short released the same year, Creature Comforts. The Wrong Trousers ''(1993) ''[[The Wrong Trousers|'The Wrong Trousers']] is a 1993 British stop-motion animated short film created by Nick Park at Aardman Animations. It is the second Wallace & Gromit short film. In the film, a sinister penguin uses Wallace and Gromit's robotic "Techno Trousers" to steal a diamond. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film and won it. A Close Shave ''(1995) 'A Close Shave' is a 1995 British stop-motion animated short film created by Nick Park at Aardman Animations. It is the third ''Wallace & Gromit short film. Wallace and Gromit uncover a plot to rustle sheep by a sinister dog. Like its predecessor, the film won the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film. A Matter of Loaf and Death ''(2008) 'A Matter of Loaf and Death' is a 2008 British stop-motion animated film created by Nick Park. It is the fourth and most recent ''Wallace & Gromit short film. The film is a murder mystery, with Wallace and Gromit starting a new bakery business. They both learn that bakers have been mysteriously murdered, and Gromit tries to solve the case before Wallace ends up as a victim himself. The film was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, but it lost to Logorama. Feature film Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit ''(2005) 'Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit' is a 2005 stop-motion animated comedy film produced by Aardman Animations in partnership with DreamWorks Animation. The film is the only feature-length ''Wallace & Gromit film. It was the final DreamWorks Animation film to be distributed by DreamWorks Pictures. The film was directed by Nick Park and Steve Box as the second feature-length film by Aardman after Chicken Run (2000). In the film, Wallace and Gromit solve the mystery of a dangerous garden-guzzling rabbit-like beast. It was a critical and commercial success, and won numerous awards including the Academy Award for Best Animated Feature, making it the second film from DreamWorks Animation to win (after Shrek), as well as both the second non-American animated film and second non computer-animated film to have received this achievement (after Spirited Away). It became the second highest-grossing stop-motion film of all time, only outgrossed by Chicken Run. TV series Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions ''(2002) 'Wallace & Gromit's Cracking Contraptions' is a series of ten Wallace & Gromit shorts varying in length from 1 to 3 minutes. Each episode features one of Wallace's new inventions and Gromit's skeptical reaction to it. The series was produced and released in 2002 by Aardman Animations. ''Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention ''(2010) 'Wallace & Gromit's World of Invention' is a science-themed miniseries produced by Aardman Animations, which originally aired on BBC One from 3 November to 8 December, 2010. The program focuses on a look at inventions based around various themes, and consists of live-action films interlaced with animated claymation segments hosted by Wallace and Gromit, which often focus on a sideplot connected to that episode's theme. The programme ran for six episodes and was the last production that Peter Sallis performed in before his retirement from acting due to ill health. Spin-offs ''Shaun the Sheep (2007-16) Shaun the Sheep is a British stop-motion animated television series and spin-off of the Wallace & Gromit franchise. The series revolves around the adventures of the titular character Shaun, a small sheep who previously appeared in the 1995 short film A Close Shave and in the Shopper 13 short film from the 2002 Wallace and Gromit's Cracking Contraptions series. A feature-length film based on the series, titled Shaun the Sheep Movie, was released theatrically in 2015. A 30-minute television special based on the series, titled Shaun the Sheep: The Farmer's Llamas, debuted on Amazon Video in the United States on 13 November 2015. A second feature-length film based on the series, titled A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon, was released theatrically in 2019. Timmy Time ''(2009-12) 'Timmy Time' is a British stop-motion animated children's television series made for the BBC by Aardman Animations. The show is a spin-off of the ''Shaun the Sheep television series, which itself is a spin-off of the Aardman series Wallace & Gromit, which introduced the character of Shaun. The first two seasons ran for 26 episodes and the third season ran for 30 episodes. The series aired from 6 April 2009 to 13 July 2012. The series revolves around Shaun's little cousin Timmy and his friends having to learn to share, make friends, and own up to mistakes. They are supervised by two teachers, Harriet Heron and Osbourne Owl. Other media Video games A Wallace & Gromit interactive CD-ROM game from 1996, named Wallace & Gromit Fun Pack, was released for the PC. A sequel, Fun Pack 2, was released in 2000. The characters were associated with a 144-issue fortnightly digest called Techno Quest, published by Eaglemoss Publications starting in 1997. In 1997, an animated screensaver-themed video game entitled Wallace & Gromit Cracking Animator was released. In September 2003, Wallace & Gromit in Project Zoo was released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, Nintendo GameCube, and Microsoft Windows. In 2005, a [[The Curse of the Were-Rabbit (video game)|video game of The Curse of The Were-Rabbit]] was released for the PlayStation 2 and Xbox. In July 2008, developer Telltale Games announced a new series of episodic video games based on the characters, called Wallace & Gromit's Grand Adventures. The first episode in Grand Adventures, "''Fright of the Bumblebees''", was released on 23 March 2009. The second episode, "''The Last Resort''", was released on 5 May 2009. Two more episodes, "[[Muzzled|''Muzzled!]]" and "[[The Bogey Man|''The Bogey Man]]" were released in later 2009. The four episodes have separately been released on Xbox Live Arcade for the Xbox 360. Cameo appearance In Flushed Away, a DreamWorks and Aardman production prior to their partnership splitting apart, Gromit can be seen as a giant plush toy in the beginning of the film. A DVD for The Curse of the Were-Rabbit can also be spotted in the film. Comic British publisher Titan Magazines started producing a monthly Wallace and Gromit comic after the debut of Curse of the Were-Rabbit. The characters still run Anti-Pesto, and both Shaun and Feathers McGraw have appeared in the comic. The two characters appeared in the monthly BeanoMAX comic until its closure in June 2013, and now appear every four weeks in The Beano. They are heavily featured in 'Aardmag', the free online magazine that is unofficial but supported by Aardman Animations. Nick Park guest-edited the 70th birthday issue of The Beano weekly, and so this issue contained numerous Wallace and Gromit references. On 17 May 2010, they began appearing daily in The Sun. It replaced George and Lynne. A graphic novel compiling all 311 daily strips was released on 8 October 2013, and a second volume is set to follow in October 2014. The newspaper strip ended on 27 October 2013. Theatre In November 1997, the characters appeared in a play called Wallace & Gromit™ Alive on Stage in a Grand Night Out.